Horace Williams, Contributor

The delegates have spoken and Portia Simpson Miller has been re-elected president of the PNP. There have been comments that the delegates, most of whom are ordinary black people, are ignorant, uneducated, unsophisticated and do not know what is good for them; they want to continue in poverty. It has also been said that they were bought out.

Sections of the media and so-called objective journalists made every effort to denigrate Mrs Simpson Miller. Based on her utterances and her record of performance, and her behaviour, did she deserve such treatment? Was the vote a message to the intelligentsia and the movers and shakers in the society?

Both political parties have been corrupting the political process for decades. Two decades ago, it would have been the stuffing of ballot boxes, the garnering of whole communities by political enforcers and threats and intimidation to vote for one party or the other. The Electoral Office of Jamaica, under the able leadership of Dr Herbert Thompson, Dr Errol Miller, and their able team of dedicated Jamaicans, together with Danville Walker have, to a large extent, substantially reduced that level of corruption. The new hydra-headed dragon is vote-buying.

much debate

There has been much debate as to why the Arise and Renew team did not win the PNP's presidential elections, given the large sum of money provided by the private sector, and the moneyed class, their level of organisation and level of intellectual input from the middle class, the backing from sections of the media and the overall level of advertising and media exposure. It is also felt that the Arise and Renew team presented a vision of the future for the country, which was clear, rational and evident for all the delegates to see.

What appears to have happened, in my estimation, is that all those so-called ordinary black, uneducated, unsophisticated, ill-informed and short-sighted persons who voted for Mrs Simpson Miller are singing a different tune from the so-called educated, visionary, upper class, intellectually sophisticated and far-sighted Jamaicans.

Over the last three or so decades, the lot of the ordinary black people in this country has not changed substantially. There has been some improvement, but much more could have been done. They have voted for successive governments, but all that appears to be needed of them is to dip a live finger in the ink on election day. After the party has been elected, ministers of Government who then move into upper-class neighbourhoods in St Andrew are appointed, are provided with multimillion-dollar luxury vehicles, and are provided with all the trappings of modern life. Their friends and relatives are allowed to plunder the resources of the country for their own benefit.

engine of growth

The private sector is supposed to be the engine of growth. Large sectors within the private sector have been provided with tax and duty waivers over the decades and have asked for and have received numerous concessions, but the economy has not moved in order to provide jobs and opportunities for the populace. There is the constant complaint about Government bureaucracy. When some of this bureaucratic red tape is removed, as quoted by Danville Walker, the Government loses billions of dollars of revenue.

How does the above relate to the last PNP presidential elections?

The 'backra massa' syndrome is alive and well. Large sections of the black population feel marginalised. The Marcus Garvey message has been lost. The level of consciousness instilled in the population by Michael Manley, warts and all, has been lost. There is a level of hopelessness, mental degradation and a breakdown of personal and family relationships. There is 'chacka-chacka', indiscipline, and disorder ignored by successive Governments.

The 18-and-a-half years of the PNP regime under the leadership of Mr P.J. Patterson and latterly, under Mrs Simpson Miller's leadership, have been substantially a disaster. The new JLP government is still trying to find its way, and based on its performance so far, has been given a passing grade by most broad-minded analysts.

So, Mrs Simpson Miller's win may be seen in the context of a drowning man clutching at a straw. In my estimation, the delegates are saying to the owners of capital, the intellectuals, sections of the media, the browns, whites and the other class: "You have not helped us so far, or much more could have been done". Let us cling to Sister P who is one of us, whom we can trust. In my estimation, they are saying: "We do not trust you; we do not trust your company; you want us at the back of the bus; your only intention is political and economic power for yourselves."

So, what of the future? Brother Bruce and Sister P must now understand that we are on a different path. Regardless of world conditions, such as high oil prices, high food prices, and other world conditions, we are on a different path. Whichever party is in power, that party will have to deliver. The wastage of human lives has to cease.

Opportunities have to be created for the underclass in this society. Communities have to be rebuilt, tribal politics and the garrisons will have to go. The justice system has to deal fairly with the common man. Political, business, and police corruption will have to cease. Otherwise, instead of an average of 1,600 murders per year, we may be seeing 2,500 per year in the next five years.

Phillips' future

It is reported that Dr Phillips might go to the University of the West Indies, Mona. If this were to be so, is it a situation of taking up my marbles since the game is not going my way? What of that vision which was expounded about helping the transformation of the society? Would these have been words without substance?

Wake up, my friends! If we think the delegates are stupid, uninformed, and illiterate, let us do something about the education system. Let us enlighten them in a positive way. Let us lend a helping hand without treating them as lesser beings. Most of us are not far removed from the cane piece.

Dr Horace Williams is a human-resource specialist. Feedback may be sent to williebo@cwjamaica.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.